One of the things I’m constantly muttering to myself these days is how agencies and their clients need to speed up their creative development processes. Six months is a joke today, at least when it comes to digital. Six days is more like it. Of course, radical change doesn’t come easy. Apparently, I’m not alone […]

According to The New York Times, Portugal is spending over $4 million dollars to rework and bolster its image in the international business community. Manuel Pinho, Portugal’s minister for the economy and innovation said that 19 percent of the country’s power comes from renewable sources like the wind or the sun, putting Portugal in third […]

He hasn’t raised the most money, but Mike Huckabee can afford a real good camera crew. Can you imagine the on-set high-fives when some campaign advisor looked through the lens and said “Wow, the way you’re framed here in the shot, there’s a freakin’ cross plain as day in the background right next to your […]

If you write about advertising, you’re going to receive a lot of holiday greetings from firms that create it. Rick Romell of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is no exception. But instead of letting these greetings go unloved in his inbox, he’s sharing them with his readers. This is the season for advertising shops to flex their […]

Steve Rubel points to two brand-supported content aggregators that I was not previously aware of—Sony’s Stories We Digg and JC Penney’s Fall Shopping Guide. Here’s Sony’s description of their service: This site, which is powered by the Digg open API, is built to serve as a filter for the Digg community, and beyond. We’re hand […]

The best agencies are staffed by people with big ideas. Sadly, most of these ideas are wasted on ads for clueless clients. But, when it can help it, Taxi doesn’t play that game. To commemorate the shop’s 15th year in the culture-shaping business, they sought a truly big idea, one that would give back to […]

BuzzD is a new local-search/networking service from mobile pioneer Nihal Mehta. BuzzD has established partnerships with content providers, Flavorpill and TimeOut, which gives users the lowdown on social venues in real time from their peers. Helio is expected to be the first carrier to offer BuzzD, but Mr. Mehta said he plans to make it […]

Barkley’s Sonic Drive-In TV spot for cranberry iced tea was one of the most highly recalled restaurant commercials of the year, according to an IAG Research report. The No. 1 most-recalled spot according to the report was a Subway spot featuring Jared and Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, while the Sonic spot tied for second […]

“Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.” -Nat King Cole in 1954 According to Crain’s New York Business, Omnicom will spend $1.25 million over five years to fund a group of diversity experts. The mission of the Omnicom Diversity Development Advisory Committee is to identify and attract minority talent to its agencies, develop outreach programs […]

According to Media Post’s Marketing Daily, ConAgra—the nation’s largest popcorn maker—will use an integrated campaign to tout the fact that its reformulated Orville Redenbacher and ACT II microwave brands no longer contain added diacetyl, a creamy, buttery flavoring. Other popcorn makers have already made similar moves, following the discovery in 2002 that diacetyl was making […]